Dark and Storming
by Amledo
Summary: Clint Barton had kept his secret fairly well over the years. He was afraid of storms. Normally he was able to go and hide in Natasha's room, but now he can't do that. As it turns out Tony Stark has the same problem now that he can't hide with Pepper. Platonic romance Asexual!Clint/Gay!Tony mentions of Pepper/Natasha but nothing big.


(A/N: Well, I told you that I wouldn't stay away from the Avengers fanfiction. And I am back with a request fill for angelxofxmine. So, this is another fluffy platonic romance fic featuring Asexual!Clint/Gay!Tony, it also contains mentions of the Natasha/Pepper romance but only mentions. That means cuddles and fluff so if you don't like that please take the nearest exit. I do not own the Avengers and I never will because it is making Marvel way too much money for them to ever consider selling it. Ah, to dream. On with the show kids!)

Dark and Storming

He woke up to the thunder and lightning with rain driving against his windows like it meant to come inside. It had been expected, Thor had warned him that there was a storm coming that he would be unable to divert lest he risk ruining natural weather patterns. But warning aside, he knew that there wouldn't be any more sleep for him that night, once there might have been a way around it, but that option was gone.

Sighing with frustration and more than a little nervous tension, he rolled out of his bed. His grey sleep pants were slung low over his hips, left pant leg rolled up to mid-shin, right sock clinging tenaciously to his foot while the left one had already deserted him. By some strange bit of sleepy-Clint logic, he had lost his normal night shirt among the blankets and sheets, but he did not care enough to look for it.

The only thing he cared about was getting out of his dark room and into a more open area. He controlled his urge to run as another steak of lightning heralded an even larger crash of thunder and made his way down through the hall, toward the kitchen. He could see that the light was already on, and he could smell the warmth of coffee brewing, a vague feeling of comfort swept through him. The tile floor was cold against his bare left foot, but he didn't mind, because suddenly he had light and he had company.

Tony had already been in the kitchen and looked as if he had been startled awake much the same way Clint had. The billionaire was wearing tattered flannel pants, which very clearly featured Captain America's iconic shield from the 40's, he was bare footed, bare chested and his hair looked like a rats nest. But he greeted Clint with a cup of coffee and a light squeeze of the shoulder and so neither of them said a word about the state of the other. Clint had never known that Tony was the kind to share coffee, but followed the dark haired man toward the living room without question.

They sat together on the larger couch, the one that lined up most perfectly with the television. Tony flicked through late-late-night programming and eventually settled on a 24 hour news network, his usual viewing fare. When thunder cracked with more intensity Clint noticed that Tony, for all of his bravado, jumped just as much as he did. Somehow it was comforting to know that they shared such a childish fear.

"Never had you pegged for a fear of storms," Tony broached the subject more delicately than he normally would have. Clint looked over and contemplated the expression on Tony's face. It seemed that the inventor was making and attempt to initiate 'truth time' or as the team called it 'the sharing uncomfortable feelings hour'. The strange things that SHIELD had come up with to make them a more efficient team may have only stuck with them as a means to a joke, but they did help.

"It used to be that I had someone to help me deal with them. I never had to advertise it to anyone else," Clint drank deeply from his coffee mug. "But Tasha has Pepper now. It would be kind of weird if I went and asked for a place to sleep like I used to," the archer said at last. He could literally feel Tony's eyebrows rising and kept his eyes fixed on the television while the other man put together a comment.

"So…you only slept with Natasha on stormy nights?" Clint heard the smirk in that voice, "You'd think that you'd look forward to a storm or two," Tony finished; his usual sarcasm was still there, even if it was painfully strained. Clint figured that it was part of how Tony dealt with being nervous.

"You just don't get it, do you? She and I were never lovers; we've never done anything remotely like that. And before you ask, you sarcastic jerk, yes, I am a virgin, and no, I don't want to change it," Clint said, feeling the spite rise in his tone as the fear thrummed in his chest. He dearly hoped that Tony would forgive him his outburst and perhaps conveniently forget what he had just said. Storms had the power to make him completely lose his mind.

"Calm down Hawkeye. I'm not one to judge, not really anyway. I've been lying to people for years," Clint finally chanced a glance at Tony and caught sight of that near trademark smirk. "I'm no playboy. I'm not even interested in women." At that Clint's face faulted. "I'm gay Agent Barton. I mean, sure, I loved Pepper, but only in the capacity of a best friend. I needed someone to snuggle with when I felt like a piece of dirt and she was always there," Tony admitted and allowed Clint to have a moment of contemplation, it was awfully big news coming from Tony Stark after all. He wasn't very good at sharing, but something about the desperate honesty that Clint had granted him, made him feel equal to the challenge.

"So, my being asexual…" Clint blushed brightly at the words, it was a label that he didn't like, "You really don't mind it?" the archer asked and Tony rolled his eyes. He hooked his arms around Clint and gave him a tight hug, holding on until the other man hugged back with a slight sigh.

"You're still my favorite archer Legolas. Besides, this means in a way that you are a guy that I can be myself around. One who might not mind if I climb into his bed to hide from a storm, or myself," Tony said and Clint blushed again, pulling back slightly.

"You know that I'd never be able to…"

"Clint, I like you a lot more than that. I'm not even the biggest fan of sex myself. Cuddling yes, so if that is what you want, that's what you get," Tony said, resting his head against Clint's. Quite suddenly the archer was pressed so tightly against the inventor that neither of them could breathe past the force of the hug.

"Every single night you sarcastic jerk, every single night," Clint said, causing a grin to blossom on Tony's face.

"Well then, now that's settled, let's try to get some sleep," Tony said in response, hauling a blanket from the back of the couch and with Clint's help, covering them both. With the lights all still on and the TV playing loudly, they settled into the couch together. The storm raged on, but they managed to fall asleep, holding on to one another for comfort.

In the morning, when the storm had cleared and Tony and Clint were still asleep, the rest of the Avengers began to file into the living room. They were greeted with the sight of the archer lying with his back against the arm rest and Tony nestled lower, his head pillowed on Clint's abs. The pair looked so comfortable that no one disturbed them, though Pepper did snap a picture, which she sent to Phil and was chastised by Steve for the behavior. Bruce cleared away the stale coffee while Natasha tucked the blanket around the sleeping pair, smiling fondly at the look of peace on Clint's face. Standing together Thor and Loki smiled secretively and Loki gave his brother a little nudge with his shoulder. Thor returned the nudge with an accomplished look on his face.

(A/N: Well, I hope that you liked it folks. Let me know what you thought in a review and as always, thanks for reading.)


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